I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in Ketchikan. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted to do the Yukon and train in Skagway and do the whale watch and glacier in Juneau. But Ketchikan stumped me.
What I really wanted to do was a floatplane to a bear watching spot like Neets Bay. But at almost $400 per person, I just couldn’t justify the cost for a family of 4. (I also knew nobody else in my extended family would want to spend that much or ride in a floatplane.)
So I was left researching and asking questions on travel forums. The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour kept coming up as a super popular tour, but that held very little interest for me or my family. So ultimately I decided exploring the rainforest and visiting one of the totem pole parks would be the best option.
I wavered on doing a tour through the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary but ultimately decided against it. After ruling that out, I went through reviews of different tour companies. They were definitely a smaller operation, but Wild Wolf Tours had over 200 5 star reviews on Trip Advisor and seemed pretty universally liked. I reached out to the owner Tracy and we came up with a private tour itinerary: Herring Cove, a rainforest hike, and Totem Bight State Park. The cost for a 3.5 hour private tour for up to 11 people was $649, which was a great deal.
Our tour guide Natalie was awesome. Her husband is in the Coast Guard and they have lived in many different places in the US, but Ketchikan is her all-time favorite. She absolutely loves the town and the area, and that passion spilled over into her tours. We learned a ton not just about rainforests and totem poles but the local way of life. She was interesting and knowledgeable and great with our group of boys. She was also a pre-school teacher so having 4 boys running around didn’t phase her in the slightest. She was fantastic.
As for the tour itself, the rain forest hike was interesting. It was essentially a beautiful walk through the woods so you shouldn’t go in expect stunning scenery and gorgeous views. But it is pretty surroundings, an interesting ecosystem, and an experience unique to this area. We definitely thought it was worthwhile.
Totem Bight was also a great stop. We had seen totem poles in Vancouver, but we learned a lot more about them here and loved seeing the clan house as well. The setting was beautiful, with a short walk through the rainforest to get to a picturesque waterfront setting.
Herring Cove I think we could have skipped. I didn’t realize that our chances of seeing bears at that time of day were so slim or that we would just be standing at the end of a road, not in a natural area with other things to see or do. I would have preferred to go to one of the many places where harbor seals and eagles are abundant. I know wildlife sightings are never guaranteed but I would have rather gone somewhere with a significantly higher chance of spotting something than we had at Herring Cove.
All in all, we enjoyed the tour and thought Natalie and Wild Wolf Tours were great. I think if this had been our first excursion on the cruise instead of the third, we would have liked it even more. But our tours in Skagway and Juneau had such a “wow” factor that this tour just couldn’t match. If you are looking for an excursion that will amaze you with stunning scenery, take a floatplane to the Misty Fjords. If you want to learn about the area and see some places truly unique to Ketchikan, this is a great tour for you.
